Clench curtain-clamp.



N. E, LARSON. CLENCH CURTAIN CLAMP. APPUCATION FILED ocT. 5. 1914.RENEwEn SEPT. l2. rsu..

Patented Oct. 30, 191?.

Nits EMIL LAnsoiv, or NEvv YORK, 1v.` Y.

To all whom may concern.' l

Be itknown that I, Nils E MIL LARsoN, a citizen of the United States,and resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the county of VN ew Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Glench Curtain-Clamps, of which the following is ka specification. Y.

The present invention, relates to improved means for suspendingcurtains, portieres, draperies and the like, and it has particularreference to,` and embodies, Vcertain novel features of constructiondisclosed in my previous Patents, Nos. 1,085,690v and 1,087 ,670,

but not claimable therein. For the sake of brevity, curtains only Vwillbe mentioned hereinafter as the articleswherewiththe in-V vention isdesigned to be employed.

An important object of this invention -is to produce a curtainLsuspending device of improved construction, so contrived that it will v`seize andy clasp the curtain without puncturing the same, and hold itfast from 11;; opposite sides as if by clenching, in pursuance kof thepurposeimplied by the name clench-curtain-clamp under which the deviceherein ydescribed is :known in trade;

.A furtherobject is to providea curtain suspending. device of the typeset forth having a air of jaws that are slightly diver-v gent vwenspaced apart to receive the cur-` tain, but will graduallypcloseandconverge thereupon' ,at the outer ends whenbrought to ftheir'clampingposition; Y

j ready for use asa wholew at all times. i

Referring to the annexed'fdrawing,for a detailedf description of thei'nve'ntiontfl Figure '-1 is atop. plan view 4showing this improvedclenchfcurtain 'clamp onxa some- .f what larger'scalethan'it isusually'madey v Fig; 2 is a sectional side elevation thereof, thesection`VY being takenfon 1 the linfe" 2`2 of 'g.,3 is anedgeview,ylooking from kvthe lfhandl side of lFig. -2 iz 'enunciaY CURTAIN-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent. s Patgrnted 0071;, 30, 1917,. 1Application filed october 5, 1914, serial'ivo. 865,069.

Renewed Aseptember 12,191?. serial No; 191,659."

4 is asimilar view,.looking from' the righthand sideofthe latter-namedfigure; .F1g. 5 is a transverse vsection of Fig. 3,

taken on Ythe line 5 5; i. f.

. ...Figx 6 is a transverse section of Fig. L2, i p

taken on the line 6 6; and n f Fig. 7 is a transversesection ofFig. il,taken on the line 7-7.

. *As shown in the said drawing-,the body j orprincipal portion oftheclamp may conl sist ofa single strip of material preferablysheet-metal of a flexible and resilient charac?V ter, which strip iscurved centrally to form avloop 11, and has itsopposite ends-12,.13, i

named. 'The ends 12, 13, constitute a pair.

of jaws or clasping Vmembers for the curtain, represented `by.dot-and-dash lines `at B., Fig. 6.

In orderto'secure lightness, strengthfand 1 ease, of movement along thepole'A, the loop 1.1* is made'conveXo-concave in a transversedirection,lthat is, convexoutward rand c'oncave' inward, and theedgesthereof arefolded `over eXterio-rly,all as illustrated'inthe sectionedupper part of Fig. 4t.V It will-'fbe observed that the Vtransversalcurvature, be-

sidesimparting steadinessI and rigiditywto theloop, causes itto'bear onthe pole at the edges alone, `thereby. reducing-thel friction onaccountof having pointcontact only with the pole, and the edges being'overlapped` produce'` the requisite stiffness inthe sides of theclampwhich ordinarily will be f subjected to' the 'greateststrains Theaforesaid loop ends or clasping mem-` bers 12, 13, ralso have theiropposite-lateral edges bent/,externally Lbut these edgesext'end inoppositev directions at. substantially right anglesto-the metal web; ofwhichthefsaid A membersare: formed, so as i-to constitute out#wardly-directed Lianges- 16, 17, `by .the sides of thesame.- aThe-flanges here spoken yof serve 4tocounter'act the inherent pliabilityof thefweb, and 'further discharge other func# tions,nwhich .willhereinafter appear.l

Grippers of eone-and-socket formation 'are provided-on the claspingmembers 12, `13.1;0

afforda-lirmer hold on the curtain B inserted" therebetweenfwhen A'thekmembers farei I brought together in close contact, in the mannerrepresented in Figs. 5 and 6. Such grippers, as seen in Figs. 2 and 6,comprise a conical protubei'ance or hollowhbuttonl 21 produced on theinner surface" of "one` of f the members, and a correspondingly-shapedoppositely rimmed aperture 22, forming'a socket therefor in the face ofthe other member directly opposite. may be used ask the length of thepair `ofvjaw's or clasping members 12, 13 will accommodate, theinvention contemplating the use of f gether or apart, either to clamp orrelease the curtain, consist of a screw 25 and a nut 26 co-actingtherewith. The stem `or shank of the screw 25 passes through alinedapertures 27, formed in the webs of the opposite members 12, 13. Aknurled head 2S is provsame may be located on the outer side of eithermember, for instance the member 13, as; shown. When the head 28 isthuspositioned, the nut 26 wil'l,-as=amatter of course, be placed on theoutside of the opposite member 12, as seen inthe drawing. Both the headf and nut are confined, at least partly, between thetlanges k16, 1T, oftheir respective jaws or clasping members, -'-an`d they are furthermaintained in operative position relatively thereto each by la pair ofretainers `'29, 30. iks illustrated,` these re` tainers lmay consist ofIlugs formed 'integral withV the flan-ges 16, v17, the lugs 29 engagingal peripheral vgroove "31 cut around the head 28, near the inner endthereof,fand-the lugs 30 vextending lovenopposite ysides of 'the nut26.

W'ith especial reference to Figs. 2 andY 3, it will benotedthat-'thesaid'nut'26fis kept from being rotated withthevscrew-25,\due toits locationbetween the flang'l. Itis also madelonger in oner directionthan it is wide being extendedy up toward thez vloopv 11. Inotherwords,the nutis tapped Vnearer to its lower endv to "provide-aneccentricallydisposedf threaded aperture for "the screw. Thispeculiarfeature-of construction affords additional rigidity'to'fthe web of theclasp-l ing membery 12,-a-gainst-uvhich thev 'nutbears The l'latter mayVbe further Amaintained thereon, and ythe several `parts 'offtheffel'ampheld together in permanent assemblage, *byV upsetting ftheend of;`the-screw, as :at i325 Fi-gs.-2, 3 and 17. This wilt reclude completereti-ac.- tion ofthe screw? romzthenutfandfdisas- As many grippers .ingcurtains of light fabric by turningl the lrn'urle'dhead 28 of the screwwith the fingers, as f hereinbefore indicated. f However, the resistancemet varies in natural ratio to the thickness ofthe-r material4ventering.finto the composition of'the curtain, andtherefore,to"pro\`fide for the convenient clamping of heavyfabrics,thescrewf head 28 is formed with Vatransverseopening 36, permitting thel insertionA ofa pin-wrench, which ymay be used to turnthescrew'w-hen'lthere iso'ccasion to tighten the jaws or clasping members'upon curtains exceeding fthe "aver-age thickness.k f v nyNormally,the'spring of the loop 1-1 is'such as to causethe jaws orclasping members-12, lto move apartfrom'each other on slightly divergentlines, inv the best `posit-ion to' receive thecurtain betweenthem, lwhenthe screw ,has been retracted to its full :limit v through'thenut 426,aseXe-mplified bythe reverse conditions depicte'din Figs. 2and7. Butthisdi'vergentp'osture of the opposed members 12,13 is not favorable to the`retention3of the suspended curtai-mand it would remain unaltered andineffective iffthe members were allowedtofpress directly'against eachother-at-the ends thereof "nearest-fthe loop, owing to the locationofthe actuating screw. Therefore, to I overcome' the *divergence; theinner ends lof' the clasping members are :provided withopposed,*inwardly facing vbosses v39, 40, which abut against oneanotherand operate atoj keep" the said inner ends out of? fact-ualcontact` with each other;

n This expedient prevents `theo'uter "ends: pof

the blasping members ffrom. Jopening `for spreading apart whenvthe'screwVistightened. Itfaids in hold-ing lthe 'goods orl curtain betweenthe-jaivs'more secure, since the bosses 39, 40, constitute -fulcra upon'which ithe clasping members oscilla'te underpressure'of the screwdandare `'forced actuallyj to convergeV toward each other attheir outerends,

between which the -lcurtainis firmly grasped. Thesev bosses aref locatedY at the greatest, `possible distance apart Vtransi'verse'ly 1ofVtheir-` respective l, clasping '1nenrbers, and :preferably atthelpoints l-vvhereythe lapped-over edges the ends of said loop, tighteningmeans .for drawing said jaws together, and inwardly facing bosseslocated near the juncture of said edges with the jaws preventing theouter portions of the latter from spreading when said means aretightened.

2. A curtain clamp comprising a suspending element, laterally hangedclasping membetween the flanges of one of said clasping members, andascrew located between the flanges of the opposite member engaging saidnut. 1

4. A curtain clamp comprising a suspending loop with the eXtremitiesthereof bent outwardly to form a pair of clasping members, andtightening means for the latter consisting of a nut and screw, saidscrew being upset at the end over said nut eXternally of one of theclasping members, and provided with a head capable of pressing againstthe other clasping member on they outer side of the same. v

5. A curtain clamp of resilient material comprising a suspending loopwith clasping members depending therefrom, a stop at the juncture ofsaid loop with said members, and tightening means intermediate of saidstop and the outer ends of the clasping" members causing said ends toapproach each other. Y

V6. A curtain clamp comprising a suspend-4 ing element, clasping membersdepending normally on divergentlines' therefrom, opposed vstops locatednear the juncture of said element with said members, and a screw and nuttightener intermediate said stops and the outer ends of the membersacting to `draw the latter together.

7. A curtain clamp comprising a suspend-j ing element, clasping membersdepending therefrom provided with externally directed flanges, aneccentrically tapped nut arranged to bear upon one of said membersbetween the flanges thereof, and a screw in engagement with said nuthaving itsV head opposite* positioned to press against the claspingmember. f

8. A curtain clamp comprisingv a suspending element, clasping membersdepending therefrom, tightening means for the latter` consisting of ascrew, and nut operable onv opposite sides thereof, and-retainers actingto confine the tightening means in juxtaposition to their respectivemembers.

'Signed at the borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York, andState of New York, this 31stV day of September, A. D. 1914.

n NILS EMIL LARSON.

Witnesses:

H. C. KARLSON, W. H. GEE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

